Hamster care guide

How to take care of hamsters ?

Hamster Care Sheet

What do I need for my pet hamster?

Now that you have decided on a pet hamster you should have all the supplies necessary before bringing your pet home. This care sheet will guide you in having everything you need. Remember, hamsters are chewers, wanderers, and burrowers so choose the home accordingly.

You will need a cage or aquarium that is at least 15 inches long by 12 inches high for one hamster or two dwarf hamsters. Get the largest size possible. The bigger the cage the happier your pet will be.

Bedding or substrate for the bottom of the cage where your pet can burrow and hide.

A water bottle or water dish. You will have less mess to clean up if you use a stoppered bottle in place of a water dish.

A food dish.

Hide and sleeping areas for your hamster.

Toys such as an exercise wheel, ramps, and tunnels so your pet hamster can exercise and explore.

An essential introduction to hamster care

Hamsters can seem like a cute and cuddly option when you are looking for the perfect pet, but how much do you actually know about hamster care, and how should you prepare to welcome a hamster into your home?

Baby hamsters are cute! But you need to be ready to care for them… Find out more about baby hamsters!

In this guide to hamster care, we give you the essential info you need to get started as a hamster owner!

1. Choosing the right type of hamster for you

The most common type of hamster that people have as a pet is the Syrian hamster, which is also often referred to as the Golden hamster. This little rodent originally comes from the northern regions of Syria, and the south of Turkey. It is considered to be vulnerable as a wild species as its habitat is under threat from destruction by humans. There is no such threat to Syrian hamsters in captivity.

Another popular type of pet hamster is the dwarf hamster. There are three types of dwarf hamsters that are related, and that you will normally see in pet stores, the Roborovski, and the two types of Russian dwarf hamster, Winter White and Campbell’s. The fourth type of dwarf hamster is the Chinese; this is not related to the other types of dwarf hamster.

Much like people, different hamsters are suited to different situations and homes. So the first decision you need to make is what type of hamster you want, and which is best suited to you and your circumstances.

Syrian hamsters

Decide what type of hamster you want, then choose the right home for them!

The first thing to remember about Syrian hamsters is that they should always be kept by themselves; they are very territorial and will fight with other hamsters.

Syrian hamsters are the largest of the captive hamster breeds and they are often the most popular as pets. They have a lively personality and can be really fun to watch and interact with. If you handle them from an early age Syrian hamsters can be trained well, if you have a little patience. They are generally slower paced than dwarf hamsters so they are easier to keep up with, especially during the training process.

The average lifespan for a Syrian hamster is 2 to 2.5 years, although like most animals, there are some individuals who live longer than this.

As an adult the average size of a Syrian hamster is 5.5 inches. Syrian hamsters are popular with novice hamster owners, and younger children, as they tend to be easier to handle and tame.

Dwarf hamsters

Dwarf hamsters are, as the name suggests, smaller than Syrian hamsters. They can normally be kept in a cage with other dwarf hamsters but you still need to check for any signs of upset or aggression, at which point they may need to be separated.

The Roborovski dwarf hamster is the smallest of the dwarf hamsters, and doesn’t grow much more than 3 inches in length, even as an adult. Roborovski dwarf hamsters are very fast and active; they have often been known to run as far as 100 miles per night on their hamster wheel. These adorable little creatures live for an average of 3 to 3.5 years.